Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1921-1976 (Accumulation)
Extent
4.88 linear feet (5 boxes)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Dr. Vivian Virginia Volstorff, Dean of Women, Director of Student Activities, and professor of history, joined the South Dakota State University [SDSU] faculty in 1932. She was graduated from Elgin, Illinois high school and received an associate degree from Elgin Junior College before attending Northwestern University where she received three degrees—Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy.
Vivian V. Volstorff is responsible for establishing several organizations for women at South Dakota State University; including Mortar Board and two national social sororities. She was the originator of Women's Day at the university, a day when women were honored and scholarships awarded. The event became a tradition soon after she established it in 1934, and was continued until 1970. / Volstorff held membership in several organizations, including the American Historical Association, National Association of Deans of Women and Counselors, Phi Kappa Phi, and an honorary membership in Mortar Board. She was also a very active member in the Brookings Branch of American Association of University Women (AAUW). She thought AAUW was so important that she worked to get the university accredited in order the make the Brookings Branch official.
Dean Volstorff was well known throughout South Dakota as a speaker in the field of international affairs and contemporary university students.
Vivian V. Volstorff has been mentioned in Who's Who, Who's Who of American Women, Who's Who in American College and University Administration, Leaders in Education, Dictionary of International Biography, and Directory of American Scholars.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This collection is composed of material from Volstorff's personal and professional life. Folders includes personal records retained during her tenure as Dean of Women, records from her work with campus organizations, planning documents, and personal information and correspondence. Also included are Volstorff's many speeches and writings, including research and drafts for her book, Winds of Change.
System of arrangement
This collection is arranged into series:
- Dean of Women records
- Personal papers
- Organizations
- Writings
- Speeches
- Collected material
- SDSU research
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
This collection is open to researchers without restrictions. The materials in the Archives do not circulate and may be used in-house only.
Researchers conducting extensive research are asked to make an advance appointment to access archival material. Please call or e-mail prior to visiting the collection and indicate as much detail as possible about a particular topic and intended use.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
South Dakota State University supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted as a result of their fragile condition or by contractual agreements with donors.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
The winds of change: an autobiography of South Dakota State University's last Dean of Women
Vivian V, Volstorff (Vivian Virginia), 1904-2002; James O. Pederson, South Dakota State University Alumni Association
Brookings, S.D.: South Dakota State University Alumni Association, c2000
Call number: S537.S6 V64 2000
https://sdstate-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/joj14n/01SDBOR_ALMA7130716810003641
William Charles Cole Claiborne: A study in frontier administration
Vivian V, Volstorff (Vivian Virginia), 1904-2002
ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1932
https://sdstate-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/r5hs7o/TN_proquest1825632022